Angel di Maria, Ander Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata all got on the scoresheet as Van Gaal's team of Galacticos hammered QPR 4-0 at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal gave Radamel Falcao a second-half debut off the bench while Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo made their first starts in the red of United.

All three impressed, but it was the contribution of Di Maria which perhaps deserves the greatest praise.

The Argentinian gave United fans a glimpse of his potential in the drab 0-0 draw at Burnley two weeks ago, but on his home debut he was simply irresistible, stretching the away defence with a series of brilliant passes and he had a hand in all four goals.

Van Gaal, who had gone four games without a win, will want to use this victory as a springboard. United, playing in a 4-4-2 diamond, passed the ball quicker, they were more clinical in front of goal and the atmosphere at the ground was jubilant.

With £150million of new talent available to him, and players like Mata, who had an outstanding game, Van Gaal has the potential to achieve a top-three finish, as outlined by his employers, at the very least.